HORSE STORIES
Anyone who has ever been around mounted cops for any length of time will no doubt be regaled by some very funny �mounted stories�. Everyone on the job probably knows someone from Mounted who has at one time or another entertained them with one of those �never to be repeated� horse stories.
One such story involves a mounted officer and his horse sought refuge one night in a railroad yard. Seeking for a way to get some rest while being able to hide the horse, the railroad yard was a good choice, so he thought.
Getting himself and the horse into an empty box car, he soon found himself catching a much needed nap. He was awakened by the horse stepping on him, because the train was underway and was rocking & rolling!
The train didn't stop until it was at a small town upstate. Picture him going down the Street of this upstate town in his uniform riding a horse. I don't know what it cost him but he had to hire someone to drive him & his horse back to the city!
Since the origin of policing cops in uniform have sought ways to get out of the element for some hard earned rest � it�s just a little harder to do with that big horse you have to take around with you!
IN MEMORIAM � PTL. JOHN SKAGEN 1972
Ptl. John Skagen makes the ultilmate sacrifice 33 years ago JUNE 28
The NY TIMES reported on June 29, 1972 that an off-duty Transit Authority patrolman died the night before, four hours after being shot in a gun battle in a Bronx subway station. The patrolman had stopped a man who had a gun protruding from his belt.
John Skagen, while returning from a court appearance, was involved in a terrible quagmire of circumstances that proved fatal for him, life altering for the officers involved in his death and the catalyst, James Richardson, was ultimately set free.
The trouble began when Patrolman Skagen, dressed in civilian clothes, spotted a gun Mr. Richardson's waistband on the landing of the Hunts Point Avenue station of the IRT Pelham Bay Line. The patrolman ordered him to spread his hands against the wall, and the suspect whirled, drew his gun and fired two shots, striking the patrolman.
The shots were heard by two patrolmen from the 41st Precinct, John Jacobson and George Weiver, who were in a radio car on the street above.
Patrolman Jacobson grabbed the suspect as he reportedly ran up the stairs, while Patrolman Weiver ran into thestation.
Ptl. George Weiver, in a mistaken turn of events, shot and killed Skagen after the perpetrator ran up the subway stairs screaming that there was a crazy man with a gun downstairs. Skagen, already wounded by shots fired by Richardson, was confronted by Weiver, who emptied his revolver at Skagen, who perished at Lincoln Hospital a short time later.
Meanwhile, the suspect struggled free and ran across the street to the southeast corner of Bruckner Boulevard and Hunts Point Avenue.
At this point, the chase was joined by Patrolman John Pade of the Citywide Crime Control Unit. Patrolman Pade fired four shots at the fleeing figure, and Patrolman Jacobson fired three.
The suspect was struck twice and seized, but he succeeded in tossing away his revolver. Witnesses told police that he had thrown it over a fence onto the tracks of the New York Central, where it was retrieved by four unidentified youths who ran off with it.
Patrolman Skagen, with two bullets in him, was taken to Lincoln Hospital. He died shortly after 9 P.M., four hours after the shooting.
He had been on the force for two years, since July, 1970. He was married and the father of a son.
While the tragic, quick turn of events is a story unto itself, the trial that followed was equally unpredictable. In the end, Richardson was acquitted by the Bronx jury after hisattorney, the famous William Kunstler, convincingly told the jury that it was the officers' own actions that led to Skagen's murder.
A novel, written by the district attorney who tried the case, Steven Phillips, analyzes the case & prosecution. Titled "NO HEROES, NO VILLIANS: THE STORY OF A MURDER TRIAL", this book once graced my bookshelf (before being borrowed and never to be seen again).
Thanks to Sgt Mike Fanning, who reported this story on his Yahoo groups site.
POLICEWOMEN
Following an inquiry from a reader concerning Policewomen in the NYPD, the following information was passed on by Ret Det1 John Reilly.
In the March 1968 issue of Spring 3100, an article appeared concerning the assignment of policewomen to Patrol Commands effective Feb. 1, 1968.
In the article it was mentioned that the then current quota of policewomen was 352, and that there were 11 positions unfilled. This number included 62 detectives. There were also 2 female lieutenants and 16 female sergeants.
There were a number of female detectives in the Narcotics Bureau at that time, with a good number of the working undercover. The Pickpocket Squad also had a large complement of female detectives.
It is also interesting to note that the NYC Chatter had quotas for 1st and 2nd grade detectives. For First Grade, the number was 276 males and 8 female detectives.
Certainly a long way from the department of today!
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The Coroner's Toolkit
http://www.linux-mag.com/content/view/1894/2297/
YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP�
WILL THE REAL DUMMY PLEASE STAND UP?
AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership. He received a $26 million severance package. Perhaps it's not Walter who's lacking intelligence.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS:
Police in Oakland, CA spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, "Please come out and give yourself up."
WHAT WAS PLAN B???
An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts.
THE GETAWAY!
A man walked into a Topeka, Kansas Kwik Stop and asked for all the money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.
NOTED OBITUARY: DET FIRST GRADE JOHN TARTAGLIA
It was reported in the NY Post on June 7, 2005 that an NYPD Titan passed away.
The name may mean something to Brooklyn North gumshoes. It was reported that Retired Detective First Grade John Tartaglia had passed away, at the age of 79, after a brief illness.
More recently, that name was noted for his sons, William Tartaglia, a recently retired Inspector, and Peter, a retired Lieutenant � Squad Commander.
Bill and Pete�s father, John Tartaglia, set their detective instincts from an early age.
You may not have been aware that their father, legendary NYPD Detective First Grade John Tartaglia,helped solve some of New York's most infamous crimes.
Among the cases he worked on were the murder of Kitty Genovese, a crime that shocked the city in 1964. She was killed as dozens of her neighbors in Kew Gardens, Queens, ignored her cries for help.
He also was involved in the probe of Alice Crimmins, who was accused of murdering her two young kids in 1965.
John Tartaglia � who served in the WWII Normandy invasion � is survived by his wife, Ann, and four sons.
William recently retired as an Inspector and the Commanding Officer of the Gang Division. He got his start as a Brooklyn North gumshoe, serving as a Detective, Sergeant in the 84 Squad, and through the ranks back into the Detective Bureau. His brother, Peter, was a legend as the 77 Squad Commander � and left some large shoes for me to try and fill in that squad. He now serves with the Suffolk County DA�s Office.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Tartaglia family on their loss.
WHO�S THE TARGET?
The police forms call him Advanced Silhouette SP-83A; in some gun shops, he is B-60. He is widely known in police and gun-club circles as the Thug, a life-size, two-dimensional paper target that every New York City police officer has shot at since the early 1960's.
He has not changed over the decades, a husky white guy, maybe a little German, maybe a little Italian, some Irish, with his pug nose and his thick head of dark, wavy hair. His hands are hairy, his jowls clean shaven. He favors a white-on-white track suit that is a little snug in the middle.
Whatever the Thug wants with that gun, he seems to be eating well.
As with many tools of police work, a certain lore has grown up around the Thug, giving birth to multiple theories on whether he is based on a real person, and just exactly who that man is. Each different theory attaches a different real name to the crouching bad guy.
He's the Worell. He's the Bruno. He's Ernest Borgnine.
The truth may surprise a few people who thought they knew the answer.
The image was created in New York City, but over the years, police departments in other states, including Connecticut, have used it, and anyone can buy one in gun stores. It is the official target used by the Department of Homeland Security.
Just who is this man in the target?
First, the Worell Theory.
At the department's outdoor range in Rodmans Neck, officers with enough years remember a sergeant named Fred V. Worell, who taught thousands of New York City police officers how to shoot in his 35 years on the job. The resemblance to the Thug, they say, is too close to be coincidence.
"It was always alluded to, he was the one this target was modeled on," said Detective Stephen Albanese, 48, moments before pumping his 15 rounds into what he believed was the image of the man he once worked with.
Sergeant Worell retired in 1987, and died Feb. 8, 2003, at age 66. Pictures of him at work indeed bear a resemblance to the target, especially the hair.
"Up until the end, he still had it," said John Cerar, 60, a former commander at the range for nine years, until 1994. "Whenever he wrote a report, you saw the words 'vis-�-vis.' That was one of his trademarks, I guess."
Sergeant Worell spent so much time at work, the range became something of a day care center for his two sons. "My brother and I, we grew up at the outdoor range," said Kurt Worell. "The target definitely looked like him. He said, 'It does really look like me, huh?�
To this day, when officers at the range order new copies of the target, they refer to it as "Worell with gun," or "Worell with knife." (There is one bizarre version, with a woman's head atop the Thug's body, that is no longer in use.)
More theories on who the target is will be posted in the future.
IF I MAY TAKE A MOMENT
I don�t often sway from the investigative content on this site, but if I may � and I am the editor � I�d just like to take a moment for some personal acknowledgements.
I�d like to recognize the achievements of some graduating seniors at Villanova University. Three seniors, who stayed the course playing varsity women�s lacrosse for the Villanova Wildcats, have graduated. From a much larger freshman field, these three seniors stuck with the hard work and dedication needed to not only excel at this fine university, but to play a varsity sport for their four years there. I�d like to recognize my daughter, Kristen Cornicello, and her good friends Amy Rocap and Bess Hanley, and take a moment to proudly recognize them. Best wishes to all of you in your future endeavors!
Along the same line, I�d like to recognize (daughter #2) Rachael Cornicello, on her fine achievement this past year as a Junior at Lynbrook High School. Rachael was recognized in the local newspaper, The Herald, for making the New York State Team 1 in the National Women�s Lacrosse Tournament. She also topped off the season with her Second All-County Lacrosse award. Keep up the good work!
Unless I wish to invite problems at home, I should mention their brothers as well.
Andrew completed his first year of graduate studies at Queens College, where he works as the Assistant Athletic Trainer. Having played four years of lacrosse at Manhattanville College � two years as team Captain � he is completing his certification as an Athletic Trainer, and helps to keep his siblings healthy. John just finished his second year at Hartwick College and, yes, he too plays lacrosse! He will be stepping up to the lead face-off man this next season, and we�re looking forward to Hartwick moving further up the NCAA Division III ladder!
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
June 26, 1918 Ptl Joseph Nolan, 22 Pct, Assaulted with brick
June 26, 1930 Ptl Wilson Fields, 62 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
June 26, 1937 Ptl George Mahnken, Mcy Unit, Motorcycle accident
June 26, 1977 Det Henry McDevitt, 48 Pct, Assaulted
June 28, 1927 Ptl Andrew Grennan, 46 Pct, Drowned during rescue
June 28, 1931 Det William DeGive, MODD, Shot during GLA Arrest
June 28, 1963 Ptl. William Baumfield, 4 Div, Shot-Robbery
June 28, 1972 PO John Skagen, TD2, Shot chasing felon
June 28, 1986 PO Scott Gadell, 101 Pct, Shot during investigation
July 1, 1911 Ptl Michael Lynch, 22 Pct, Shot by perp
July 2, 1922 Det John Moriarty, Det Div, Shot:Robbery in progress
July 2, 1970 Ptl Paul Donadio, 75 Pct, Patrolwagon accident on patrol
July 3, 1857 Ptl Thomas Sparks, No info available
July 3, 1917 Ptl John Flood, 31 Pct, Assaulted
July 3, 1966 Ptl Willie Stephenson, HAPD, Drowned during rescue
July 4, 1940 Det Joseph Lynch, Bomb Squad, Explosion during investigation
July 4, 1940 Det Ferdinand Socha, Bomb Squad, Explosion during investigation
July 4, 1993 PO Rudolph Thomas, PSA3, Shot:Off duty
My Note: I remember the killing of PO Scott Gadell, as it fell on a family birthday which my father missed, as he was working that day with Queens Homicide. You may recall that, at that time, the use of �speed loaders� for revolvers was NOT an authorized piece of equipment. Sadly, after Scott�s death, the department authorized its use.
REMEMBER � TO CONTACT THE MINISTER OF INVESTIGATION�
Send me an e-mail at: Ltjac77@yahoo.com
HOPING ALL HAVE A SAFE, HEALTHY, AND JOYOUS HOLIDAY WEEKEND!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Friday, June 10, 2005
THE SCIENCE OF INVESTIGATION
Investigation is a very inexact science which we must nonetheless approach as a science.
An intriguing aspect of investigations is that most cases are solved more by common sense and persistence than by sophisticated skills.
Check every possibility, get others to assist, follow up on the most minor piece of evidence, obtain every possible detail, trust your intuition, and stay with the search tenaciously � these are the laws of our �science� of investigation.
ON REPORT WRITING
Report writing is not a peripheral activity that has little to do with the real business of investigation. On the contrary, the individual who argues that he can investigate a problem and solve it but he cannot write reports is comparable to an auto mechanic who says, �I can remove and repair your engine but I can�t install it back in your car.�
If he cannot finish the job, he is not what he claims to be.
Report writing is a natural and necessary part of the very job description of an investigator. The investigator who avoids or puts off writing reports, is in the position of a fireman who avoids fires or puts off arriving at the scene of a fire. Such people are in the wrong business.
An investigative report is a clear, comprehensive, written documentation of facts, presented chronologically, which is an objective, first person recording of the investigator�s experiences, conversations, and observations regarding a specific assignment, and from which the events of the investigation can be reconstructed even after a lapse of time.
The investigative report reflects, in writing, the investigator�s work on a case. It should be able to stand the test of time.
A good report, when read by a stranger five years later, will make as much sense as it did to the writer on the day it was written.
The ultimate test of a good report is simply this: If the reader of the report has a question, the report is deficient.
Since the final version of the report is in writing, it follows that correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as well as legibility will reflect either favorably or unfavorably on the investigator who wrote it. He does not have to be a consummate stylist, but he does have to be able to organize and present his facts clearly. Lapses in grammar, spelling, and punctuation often have the troublesome result of making things unclear.
(Ed note: Thanks to the John E. Reid & Associates, and to �The Process of Investigation� by Charles Sennewald, for portions of the above.)
WHERE THE SKELETONS ARE: WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK
Washington Square Park is not only home to the flying Frisbee and the sometime marijuana joint, but buried beneath the ground are the skeletons of some ten thousand New Yorkers.
Washington Square was where the city discarded the victims of the yellow fever epidemics that swept through New York between 1797 and 1819. The scourge was so bad that the city�s gravedigger was given free rent at a shack on Thompson Street, on the south side of the square.
The hangman, on the other hand, had to pay his own rent.
But he, too, was a busy municipal worker. New York ran a gallows in the center of the square until about 1819, executing everyone from petty thieves to axe murderers. After that, the city leaders decided that capital punishment was better meted out in more secluded areas. It seemed more civilized that way, and better for the city�s image.
PROMOTION CONGRATULATIONS
The May 27 promotion ceremony saw some promotions from Brooklyn North Detectives (the emphasis on �some�), from DBB and the Brooklyn North �extended family� that should be noted.
William McSorley, the 83 Squad Commander, was promoted to Captain. Congratulations, Bill, and best of luck to you on the big move. You will surely be missed by all in the squad, and we join together to wish you the best as you make the move past your last civil service test! We all hope you stay close by!
Also from the 83 Squad, Anthony Caroselli was promoted to Lieutenant. Another loss to everyone in DBB; Anthony was just recently transferred to Brooklyn Transit Robbery Squad, and we hope to see him return to DBB as a Squad Commander.
Tip of the hat to Mike O�Keefe of the 83 Squad, who was promoted to Detective First Grade. Congratulations, Mike, and best wishes to you.
Other DBB promotions included Bob Palestra from the 70 Squad receiving the Commander Detective Squad designation. A well deserved nod to Bobby for the fine work he does!
I am especially happy to see Mike Joyce on the SDS promotion list. Mike, from Brooklyn South Homicide, was an integral part of the 40 Caliber Task Force, and receives a well deserved promotion.
Second Grade promotions were also bestowed on James Nash of the 67 Squad and Anthony Cheatham of the 71 Squad. Best wishes to you both.
From our �extended family�, we see Paul Wasielewski, currently of Major Case and formerly from the 75 Squad, promoted to Second Grade. Chris Kollmeier, of the Intell Division�s Criminal Intelligence Section was also promoted to Second Grade. Chris is a long time Brooklyn North alumni, and also was instrumental in the 40 Caliber Task Force.
Congratulations and best wishes to all!.
SOME RAMBLING THOUGHTS FROM THE HEAD OF A BUSY SQUAD COMMANDER WHO�D RATHER BE SITTING ON A BEACH SOMEWHERE
Summer�s here, now that we�ve gone through the Memorial Day weekend, it�s official. You can start wearing white pants, white shoes, all those summer Tommy Bahama shirts can come out from the back of the closet.
Summertime for the local news media can mean only one thing � the latest Hampton�s sighting of Lizzie Grubman. You remember her � get drunk in the Hamptons, run some people over with your car, flee the scene, and become a star for all of that. Who out there really wants to know where Lizzie was drinking at last night, or who she was dancing with? Fame sure is a funny thing � amazing how it seems to latch on to the least expected. In true �you can�t make this stuff up� fashion, Lizzie is none other than a � Public Relations mogul. You know the business, �there�s no such thing as bad publicity�. Well, she sure has made the most of that. Let�s see any one of us go out and do the same thing she did, run some people over � how long before you�re back making �big bucks� and being followed around by paparazzi, being courted for a �reality TV� show � probably a lot longer than the year it took for poor Lizzie. Who says we don�t live in a strange society? (Actually, a pretty *&$#!*ed up one, at times). Go figure.
Summer breezes, sunny beaches, a good book for the summer, right? Well, I�ve already outlined some books in the past few postings on what NOT to read, what about some suggestions?
BLUE BLOOD, now out in paperback, is certainly a lot easier to cart around a beach than the hardcover version. While this book is pretty accurate and forthright from an insiders point of view, most people �on the job� I know who have read it have the same basic review � it�s OK, nothing spectacular. Now don�t get me wrong, and I don�t want to knock the work of this fine writer � Detective � it�s just that for an insider in the NYPD there�s nothing there that you haven�t done yourself, felt yourself, or wondered about yourself, you just weren�t smart enough to write it all down the way Edward Conlon did. Now, that�s not a criticism of the author; it�s not meant to be. I can fully understand how the �general� public would take to this account: he�s Harvard educated, so he �fits� into their circles, and that makes him stand apart from the �other� cops that the public sees us as being a part of. My recommendation to you, pick up the book, read it. It�s not bad, you may like it more than I did, in any event, it�s better than most other trash on the racks, and at least you�ll be supporting a �working cop�.
I just finished THE HOT KID by Elmore Leonard. I enjoy Elmore Leonard, especially as a summer read, and he doesn�t disappoint in this, his latest novel. It�s a story about a US Marshal in the 1930�s, the gangster age during the period of America�s most notorious bank robbers: Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson � those guys. He wants to be America�s most famous lawman; he shot his first felon when he was fifteen years old. �Never pull your gun out unless you intend on killing�, is what he�s said to many he comes across. This book makes my HIGHLY Recommended list.
Anything by James Elroy is usually a good summer read as well. A noted writer of Los Angeles noir, once you get hooked on an Elroy novel, you�ll keep going back. Another RECOMMENDED read for the summer.
As for me, I�ll be finishing up THE HOT KID in another day, and will move on to my annual �Summer Literature Series� � this year I�ll be reading Guillermo Cabrera Infante, noted Cuban writer, and will be sinking my teeth into �THREE STRIPED TIGERS�. But, then again, that�s just me � a crowded head in a summer heat. Go figure.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
June 8, 1958 Ptl Herman Corn, 52 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
June 9, 1931 Sgt William O�Shaughnessy, 28 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
June 9, 1939 Ptl Alexander Stult, ESU, Asphyxiated during rescue
June 9, 1969 Sgt Edward Henninger, AIS, LOD Heart Attack
June 11, 1925 Ptl James Cullen, 37 Pct, Motorcycle accident on patrol
June 12, 1991 PO Kenneth Hansen, Harbor, Drowned
June 14, 1960 Ptl William Ramos Jr, 80 Pct, Shot- robbery
June 15, 1944 Ptl Eliote Holmes, 13DetSq, Line of duty injury
June 15, 1967 Ptl Walter Ferguson, DetDiv, LOD heart attack
June 15, 1979 PO Ted Donald, PSA7, Shot- burglary arrest
June 15, 1980 PO John Patwell, 43 Pct, Assaulted
June 15, 1983 PO John Mandia, 25 Pct, Fell under train
June 15, 1984 PO Juan Andino, 40 Pct, Shot- robbery arrest
Investigation is a very inexact science which we must nonetheless approach as a science.
An intriguing aspect of investigations is that most cases are solved more by common sense and persistence than by sophisticated skills.
Check every possibility, get others to assist, follow up on the most minor piece of evidence, obtain every possible detail, trust your intuition, and stay with the search tenaciously � these are the laws of our �science� of investigation.
ON REPORT WRITING
Report writing is not a peripheral activity that has little to do with the real business of investigation. On the contrary, the individual who argues that he can investigate a problem and solve it but he cannot write reports is comparable to an auto mechanic who says, �I can remove and repair your engine but I can�t install it back in your car.�
If he cannot finish the job, he is not what he claims to be.
Report writing is a natural and necessary part of the very job description of an investigator. The investigator who avoids or puts off writing reports, is in the position of a fireman who avoids fires or puts off arriving at the scene of a fire. Such people are in the wrong business.
An investigative report is a clear, comprehensive, written documentation of facts, presented chronologically, which is an objective, first person recording of the investigator�s experiences, conversations, and observations regarding a specific assignment, and from which the events of the investigation can be reconstructed even after a lapse of time.
The investigative report reflects, in writing, the investigator�s work on a case. It should be able to stand the test of time.
A good report, when read by a stranger five years later, will make as much sense as it did to the writer on the day it was written.
The ultimate test of a good report is simply this: If the reader of the report has a question, the report is deficient.
Since the final version of the report is in writing, it follows that correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as well as legibility will reflect either favorably or unfavorably on the investigator who wrote it. He does not have to be a consummate stylist, but he does have to be able to organize and present his facts clearly. Lapses in grammar, spelling, and punctuation often have the troublesome result of making things unclear.
(Ed note: Thanks to the John E. Reid & Associates, and to �The Process of Investigation� by Charles Sennewald, for portions of the above.)
WHERE THE SKELETONS ARE: WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK
Washington Square Park is not only home to the flying Frisbee and the sometime marijuana joint, but buried beneath the ground are the skeletons of some ten thousand New Yorkers.
Washington Square was where the city discarded the victims of the yellow fever epidemics that swept through New York between 1797 and 1819. The scourge was so bad that the city�s gravedigger was given free rent at a shack on Thompson Street, on the south side of the square.
The hangman, on the other hand, had to pay his own rent.
But he, too, was a busy municipal worker. New York ran a gallows in the center of the square until about 1819, executing everyone from petty thieves to axe murderers. After that, the city leaders decided that capital punishment was better meted out in more secluded areas. It seemed more civilized that way, and better for the city�s image.
PROMOTION CONGRATULATIONS
The May 27 promotion ceremony saw some promotions from Brooklyn North Detectives (the emphasis on �some�), from DBB and the Brooklyn North �extended family� that should be noted.
William McSorley, the 83 Squad Commander, was promoted to Captain. Congratulations, Bill, and best of luck to you on the big move. You will surely be missed by all in the squad, and we join together to wish you the best as you make the move past your last civil service test! We all hope you stay close by!
Also from the 83 Squad, Anthony Caroselli was promoted to Lieutenant. Another loss to everyone in DBB; Anthony was just recently transferred to Brooklyn Transit Robbery Squad, and we hope to see him return to DBB as a Squad Commander.
Tip of the hat to Mike O�Keefe of the 83 Squad, who was promoted to Detective First Grade. Congratulations, Mike, and best wishes to you.
Other DBB promotions included Bob Palestra from the 70 Squad receiving the Commander Detective Squad designation. A well deserved nod to Bobby for the fine work he does!
I am especially happy to see Mike Joyce on the SDS promotion list. Mike, from Brooklyn South Homicide, was an integral part of the 40 Caliber Task Force, and receives a well deserved promotion.
Second Grade promotions were also bestowed on James Nash of the 67 Squad and Anthony Cheatham of the 71 Squad. Best wishes to you both.
From our �extended family�, we see Paul Wasielewski, currently of Major Case and formerly from the 75 Squad, promoted to Second Grade. Chris Kollmeier, of the Intell Division�s Criminal Intelligence Section was also promoted to Second Grade. Chris is a long time Brooklyn North alumni, and also was instrumental in the 40 Caliber Task Force.
Congratulations and best wishes to all!.
SOME RAMBLING THOUGHTS FROM THE HEAD OF A BUSY SQUAD COMMANDER WHO�D RATHER BE SITTING ON A BEACH SOMEWHERE
Summer�s here, now that we�ve gone through the Memorial Day weekend, it�s official. You can start wearing white pants, white shoes, all those summer Tommy Bahama shirts can come out from the back of the closet.
Summertime for the local news media can mean only one thing � the latest Hampton�s sighting of Lizzie Grubman. You remember her � get drunk in the Hamptons, run some people over with your car, flee the scene, and become a star for all of that. Who out there really wants to know where Lizzie was drinking at last night, or who she was dancing with? Fame sure is a funny thing � amazing how it seems to latch on to the least expected. In true �you can�t make this stuff up� fashion, Lizzie is none other than a � Public Relations mogul. You know the business, �there�s no such thing as bad publicity�. Well, she sure has made the most of that. Let�s see any one of us go out and do the same thing she did, run some people over � how long before you�re back making �big bucks� and being followed around by paparazzi, being courted for a �reality TV� show � probably a lot longer than the year it took for poor Lizzie. Who says we don�t live in a strange society? (Actually, a pretty *&$#!*ed up one, at times). Go figure.
Summer breezes, sunny beaches, a good book for the summer, right? Well, I�ve already outlined some books in the past few postings on what NOT to read, what about some suggestions?
BLUE BLOOD, now out in paperback, is certainly a lot easier to cart around a beach than the hardcover version. While this book is pretty accurate and forthright from an insiders point of view, most people �on the job� I know who have read it have the same basic review � it�s OK, nothing spectacular. Now don�t get me wrong, and I don�t want to knock the work of this fine writer � Detective � it�s just that for an insider in the NYPD there�s nothing there that you haven�t done yourself, felt yourself, or wondered about yourself, you just weren�t smart enough to write it all down the way Edward Conlon did. Now, that�s not a criticism of the author; it�s not meant to be. I can fully understand how the �general� public would take to this account: he�s Harvard educated, so he �fits� into their circles, and that makes him stand apart from the �other� cops that the public sees us as being a part of. My recommendation to you, pick up the book, read it. It�s not bad, you may like it more than I did, in any event, it�s better than most other trash on the racks, and at least you�ll be supporting a �working cop�.
I just finished THE HOT KID by Elmore Leonard. I enjoy Elmore Leonard, especially as a summer read, and he doesn�t disappoint in this, his latest novel. It�s a story about a US Marshal in the 1930�s, the gangster age during the period of America�s most notorious bank robbers: Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson � those guys. He wants to be America�s most famous lawman; he shot his first felon when he was fifteen years old. �Never pull your gun out unless you intend on killing�, is what he�s said to many he comes across. This book makes my HIGHLY Recommended list.
Anything by James Elroy is usually a good summer read as well. A noted writer of Los Angeles noir, once you get hooked on an Elroy novel, you�ll keep going back. Another RECOMMENDED read for the summer.
As for me, I�ll be finishing up THE HOT KID in another day, and will move on to my annual �Summer Literature Series� � this year I�ll be reading Guillermo Cabrera Infante, noted Cuban writer, and will be sinking my teeth into �THREE STRIPED TIGERS�. But, then again, that�s just me � a crowded head in a summer heat. Go figure.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
June 8, 1958 Ptl Herman Corn, 52 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
June 9, 1931 Sgt William O�Shaughnessy, 28 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
June 9, 1939 Ptl Alexander Stult, ESU, Asphyxiated during rescue
June 9, 1969 Sgt Edward Henninger, AIS, LOD Heart Attack
June 11, 1925 Ptl James Cullen, 37 Pct, Motorcycle accident on patrol
June 12, 1991 PO Kenneth Hansen, Harbor, Drowned
June 14, 1960 Ptl William Ramos Jr, 80 Pct, Shot- robbery
June 15, 1944 Ptl Eliote Holmes, 13DetSq, Line of duty injury
June 15, 1967 Ptl Walter Ferguson, DetDiv, LOD heart attack
June 15, 1979 PO Ted Donald, PSA7, Shot- burglary arrest
June 15, 1980 PO John Patwell, 43 Pct, Assaulted
June 15, 1983 PO John Mandia, 25 Pct, Fell under train
June 15, 1984 PO Juan Andino, 40 Pct, Shot- robbery arrest
Thursday, June 02, 2005
THE INVESTIGATOR, IN BIBLICAL TERMS
Sound investigative techniques are timeless.
The following story is taken from the Book of Daniel, chapter 13, and illustrates a very early investigation, detailing the prudence of looking beyond appearances and separating interviewees � especially suspects. Just as we probably do every day of the week even today.
�In Babylon, there lived a beautiful, virtuous woman named Susanna, the wife of Joakim. Two elders were appointed as judges, who were not men of good character. Each privately lusted after Susanna.
One day, the two men were leaving Joakim�s house and each contrived to leave and return secretly to visit Susanna. They ran into one another, and startled, confessed their common desire for the married woman.
Meanwhile, Susanna entered her garden prepared to bathe. She sent her servants away and told them to close the gate. The two men approached her in the garden and made their indecent proposals. She refused. They threatened to make a false accusation of adultery against her. Again she refused, saying she would rather risk a stoning than to sin. She cried out, and the two men made their charges against her to the people who hurried to the commotion. They said they came to the garden and found her lying under a tree with a young man, not her husband, whom they chased but were unable to catch.
The crowd was swayed by the testimony of the respected judges. Susanna was being led off to execution when suddenly a young man named Daniel objected. He said he could prove the men had lied. The crowd hesitated and allowed him to proceed.
Daniel had the men separated and spoke first to one, asking him to describe the tree under which Susanna and her alleged lover were shaded. �Under a mastic tree�, replied the elder. Daniel put the same question to the second judge. �Under an oak tree,� came his reply.
The whole assembly cried aloud and rose against the two elders, for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury. The men received the sentence of death which they had contrived for Susanna.
And from that day onward Daniel was greatly esteemed by the people.� (Editors note � although he didn�t get First Grade for it.)
NEW YORK NOTORIOUS
The White Horse Tavern: 567 Hudson Street
It was the last call for Dylan Thomas.
If drinking booze were an Olympic event, Dylan Thomas, the red-haired writer and poet, would have won the Gold. Dylan�s arena was the White Horse Tavern, where he spent his last night on earth, November 9, 1953.
Dylan was a regular at the White Horse, his favorite table in the corner near the bar. Maybe it was the low-lit, cozy atmosphere that drew him there; maybe it was the conversation. Most probably it was the drink, specifically the bottles of whiskey glowing behind the long wooden bar.
On Dylan�s last night, he showed remarkable showmanship with the bottle. First there was one shot of whiskey. Then two, four, and then eight and ten shots.
Dylan was beginning to turn red from head to toe.
Eleven shots made him slur, 13 made him stagger, 15 made him fall, and 17 � yes, 17 shots of whiskey � made him collapse on the sidewalk outside the bar and die.
Dylan knew what he had accomplished. Great artists always do.
Before his last breath, he reportedly mumbled: �Seventeen whiskeys. A record, I think.�
WOMENS PRECINCT
Here is some info on what was known as the "Women Precinct."
In January of 1921, Police Commissioner Enright closed the 22nd Precinct that was then located at 434 West 37th Street.
On May 3, 1921, the old station house was reopened as the Women�s Precinct.
The building was to be used as a center for the social and welfare work of the Policewomen's Bureau. On opening day there were flower boxes on the window ledges and white curtains hanging over the windows. The former sitting room in the back was now the reception room and had a Persian rug on the floor.
Within a year the Women�s Precinct was closed.For a while the building was used as the Police Training School. In 1927 the building was turned over to the New York City Sheriff and used as a civil jail for the detention of material witness�, and persons in contempt of civil court orders, such as alimony defaults. For many years the building was known as the "Alimony Jail."
During the 1960s and 1970s many well-known labor leaders such as Mike Quill of the Transit Workers Union and Albert Shanker of the United Federation of Teachers were jailed in the building when they took their unions out on strike in defiance of court orders.The civil jail was closed in 1973, and for many years the building remained closed and empty. The City eventually sold the building to a developer, and in 1997 the old station house was demolished.
LONG LASTING IMPRESSIONS
I have received some tidbits from readers, passing on some lasting impressions from their early days on the job.
Ret. Det. AL PUKNAT, formerly of the 87 Sqd, recalls that while walking foot patrol he talked made it a habit to talk to everybody. Mom's & kids, shopkeepers, loungers, anyone who was around. It was a way to get a feel for the post - who's into what, who to keep an eye on. The foot cop was the biggest source of information for the detectives on what was going on out there, something we have lost lately.
Sometimes he would get stories he wasn't looking for because it was past history. He recalls hearing stories about a Detective Johnny Broderick who was already retired 2 years before he got on the job.
It seems Broderick was in the Main Office Squad, which was sometimes known as the Strongarm Sqd. Broderick had a reputation of being tough on the criminals, and the neighborhood had an expression �He was Brodericked�, which lasted a long time. Something having to do with an ashcan (that�s a garbage can) and someone headfirst inside of one.
William Heffernan wrote a book in 1980 "BRODERICK", which is a novel but believed to be based on facts from this officer.
Another impression that was left had to do with the expression on the face of Detective Herman Freigand's, when he was photographed with a cop killer as they returned from Chicago. Herman was sent to Chicago to bring back the killer of Detective�s Fallon and Finnigen, and when they returned the perp had his arm in a plaster cast. That little smile on Herman's face has piqued many an imagination for a lot of years.
AN ADDENDUM TO THE GREATEST DETECTIVE TALES
I almost forgot about the conversation in a squad room one day, discussing a choice for dinner, when a (soon to be Second Grade) Detective exclaimed that she "did not eat veal because she did not like the way they treated the baby veal".
Or the detective that needed to stand on a window sill to take a polaroid photograph of the face of a DOA, because the way the body was facing he wanted to "make sure the picture wasn't upside down" in the case folder.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
�It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives�.
June 8, 1958 Ptl Herman Corn, 52 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
June 9, 1931 Sgt William O�Shaughnessy, 28 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
June 9, 1939 Ptl Alexander Stult, ESU, Asphyxiated during rescue
June 9, 1969 Sgt Edward Henninger, AIS, LOD Heart Attack
June 11, 1925 Ptl James Cullen, 37 Pct, Motorcycle accident on patrol
June 12, 1991 PO Kenneth Hansen, Harbor, Drowned
June 14, 1960 Ptl William Ramos Jr, 80 Pct, Shot- robbery
June 15, 1944 Ptl Eliote Holmes, 13DetSq, Line of duty injury
June 15, 1967 Ptl Walter Ferguson, DetDiv, LOD heart attack
June 15, 1979 PO Ted Donald, PSA7, Shot- burglary arrest
June 15, 1980 PO John Patwell, 43 Pct, Assaulted
June 15, 1983 PO John Mandia, 25 Pct, Fell under train
June 15, 1984 PO Juan Andino, 40 Pct, Shot- robbery arrest
Sound investigative techniques are timeless.
The following story is taken from the Book of Daniel, chapter 13, and illustrates a very early investigation, detailing the prudence of looking beyond appearances and separating interviewees � especially suspects. Just as we probably do every day of the week even today.
�In Babylon, there lived a beautiful, virtuous woman named Susanna, the wife of Joakim. Two elders were appointed as judges, who were not men of good character. Each privately lusted after Susanna.
One day, the two men were leaving Joakim�s house and each contrived to leave and return secretly to visit Susanna. They ran into one another, and startled, confessed their common desire for the married woman.
Meanwhile, Susanna entered her garden prepared to bathe. She sent her servants away and told them to close the gate. The two men approached her in the garden and made their indecent proposals. She refused. They threatened to make a false accusation of adultery against her. Again she refused, saying she would rather risk a stoning than to sin. She cried out, and the two men made their charges against her to the people who hurried to the commotion. They said they came to the garden and found her lying under a tree with a young man, not her husband, whom they chased but were unable to catch.
The crowd was swayed by the testimony of the respected judges. Susanna was being led off to execution when suddenly a young man named Daniel objected. He said he could prove the men had lied. The crowd hesitated and allowed him to proceed.
Daniel had the men separated and spoke first to one, asking him to describe the tree under which Susanna and her alleged lover were shaded. �Under a mastic tree�, replied the elder. Daniel put the same question to the second judge. �Under an oak tree,� came his reply.
The whole assembly cried aloud and rose against the two elders, for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury. The men received the sentence of death which they had contrived for Susanna.
And from that day onward Daniel was greatly esteemed by the people.� (Editors note � although he didn�t get First Grade for it.)
NEW YORK NOTORIOUS
The White Horse Tavern: 567 Hudson Street
It was the last call for Dylan Thomas.
If drinking booze were an Olympic event, Dylan Thomas, the red-haired writer and poet, would have won the Gold. Dylan�s arena was the White Horse Tavern, where he spent his last night on earth, November 9, 1953.
Dylan was a regular at the White Horse, his favorite table in the corner near the bar. Maybe it was the low-lit, cozy atmosphere that drew him there; maybe it was the conversation. Most probably it was the drink, specifically the bottles of whiskey glowing behind the long wooden bar.
On Dylan�s last night, he showed remarkable showmanship with the bottle. First there was one shot of whiskey. Then two, four, and then eight and ten shots.
Dylan was beginning to turn red from head to toe.
Eleven shots made him slur, 13 made him stagger, 15 made him fall, and 17 � yes, 17 shots of whiskey � made him collapse on the sidewalk outside the bar and die.
Dylan knew what he had accomplished. Great artists always do.
Before his last breath, he reportedly mumbled: �Seventeen whiskeys. A record, I think.�
WOMENS PRECINCT
Here is some info on what was known as the "Women Precinct."
In January of 1921, Police Commissioner Enright closed the 22nd Precinct that was then located at 434 West 37th Street.
On May 3, 1921, the old station house was reopened as the Women�s Precinct.
The building was to be used as a center for the social and welfare work of the Policewomen's Bureau. On opening day there were flower boxes on the window ledges and white curtains hanging over the windows. The former sitting room in the back was now the reception room and had a Persian rug on the floor.
Within a year the Women�s Precinct was closed.For a while the building was used as the Police Training School. In 1927 the building was turned over to the New York City Sheriff and used as a civil jail for the detention of material witness�, and persons in contempt of civil court orders, such as alimony defaults. For many years the building was known as the "Alimony Jail."
During the 1960s and 1970s many well-known labor leaders such as Mike Quill of the Transit Workers Union and Albert Shanker of the United Federation of Teachers were jailed in the building when they took their unions out on strike in defiance of court orders.The civil jail was closed in 1973, and for many years the building remained closed and empty. The City eventually sold the building to a developer, and in 1997 the old station house was demolished.
LONG LASTING IMPRESSIONS
I have received some tidbits from readers, passing on some lasting impressions from their early days on the job.
Ret. Det. AL PUKNAT, formerly of the 87 Sqd, recalls that while walking foot patrol he talked made it a habit to talk to everybody. Mom's & kids, shopkeepers, loungers, anyone who was around. It was a way to get a feel for the post - who's into what, who to keep an eye on. The foot cop was the biggest source of information for the detectives on what was going on out there, something we have lost lately.
Sometimes he would get stories he wasn't looking for because it was past history. He recalls hearing stories about a Detective Johnny Broderick who was already retired 2 years before he got on the job.
It seems Broderick was in the Main Office Squad, which was sometimes known as the Strongarm Sqd. Broderick had a reputation of being tough on the criminals, and the neighborhood had an expression �He was Brodericked�, which lasted a long time. Something having to do with an ashcan (that�s a garbage can) and someone headfirst inside of one.
William Heffernan wrote a book in 1980 "BRODERICK", which is a novel but believed to be based on facts from this officer.
Another impression that was left had to do with the expression on the face of Detective Herman Freigand's, when he was photographed with a cop killer as they returned from Chicago. Herman was sent to Chicago to bring back the killer of Detective�s Fallon and Finnigen, and when they returned the perp had his arm in a plaster cast. That little smile on Herman's face has piqued many an imagination for a lot of years.
AN ADDENDUM TO THE GREATEST DETECTIVE TALES
I almost forgot about the conversation in a squad room one day, discussing a choice for dinner, when a (soon to be Second Grade) Detective exclaimed that she "did not eat veal because she did not like the way they treated the baby veal".
Or the detective that needed to stand on a window sill to take a polaroid photograph of the face of a DOA, because the way the body was facing he wanted to "make sure the picture wasn't upside down" in the case folder.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
�It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives�.
June 8, 1958 Ptl Herman Corn, 52 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
June 9, 1931 Sgt William O�Shaughnessy, 28 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
June 9, 1939 Ptl Alexander Stult, ESU, Asphyxiated during rescue
June 9, 1969 Sgt Edward Henninger, AIS, LOD Heart Attack
June 11, 1925 Ptl James Cullen, 37 Pct, Motorcycle accident on patrol
June 12, 1991 PO Kenneth Hansen, Harbor, Drowned
June 14, 1960 Ptl William Ramos Jr, 80 Pct, Shot- robbery
June 15, 1944 Ptl Eliote Holmes, 13DetSq, Line of duty injury
June 15, 1967 Ptl Walter Ferguson, DetDiv, LOD heart attack
June 15, 1979 PO Ted Donald, PSA7, Shot- burglary arrest
June 15, 1980 PO John Patwell, 43 Pct, Assaulted
June 15, 1983 PO John Mandia, 25 Pct, Fell under train
June 15, 1984 PO Juan Andino, 40 Pct, Shot- robbery arrest
